Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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920. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the tendering process for the national genealogy centre will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55252/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Genealogy policy is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. However, in relation to the development a Diaspora Centre, which comes under my remit, the  Government’s infrastructure and capital investment framework 2012-16, published in November 2011, includes a commitment to support for a Diaspora centre or museum, should a suitable project and partner be available.

I asked Fáilte Ireland to carry out a scoping study of the development of such a centre and the most suitable means by which it could be financed, developed and managed. In 2013 I received the outcome of the scoping study and following consideration of the appropriate next steps, I decided that expressions of interest should be sought to establish if there is a suitable project and partner available to develop a Diaspora centre.

My Department and Fáilte Ireland will be making the necessary arrangements for a call for expressions of interest along these lines in the near future.